History - Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Of New York

In 1808, one year after Prince Hall's death, African Lodge 459 is said to have re-organized. This was alleged by William Grimshaw
without documentation that representatives of three lodges, African Lodge of Boston, African Lodge of Province, Rhode Island, and
African Lodge of Philadelphia, Pa., assembled and organized an African Grand Lodge. According to the renowned researcher, the late
Charles H. Wesley in his book "Prince Hall Life and Legacy" confirms that there is now no documentation that this meeting ever took
place, and the minutes of African Lodge do not mention or refer to it.

On February 16, 1812, it has been the history of New York that African Lodge of Boston Massachusetts chartered a Lodge by the name
of "Boyer Lodge" (aka "African Lodge") with Brother Sandy Lattion as its first Worshipful Master. Besides some limited documents and
reports there does not seem to be any other information to be obtained regarding said Lodge until about 1818. The year 1812 is
recognized as the beginning of Prince Hall Masonry in the State of New York. Boyer Lodge was named in honor of Haitian
soldier-statesman and President Jean Boyer who was considered a Hero for his leadership during the war of Liberation of Haiti from
France.

On October 2, 1818, there appeared a notice in several local newspapers, calling for a meeting of a Lodge of Free and Accepted
Masons on October 6, 1818 in the City of New York, and styled, the "African Lodge". The notice was signed: Sandy Lattion, Worshipful
Master. Interestingly enough, just one day later, on October 7, 1818, the White Grand Lodge of the State of New York called a special
meeting, and what appeared to be an urgent meeting, to convene and investigate this matter. As a consequence, a Committee was
appointed to investigate, and report back. This information was thunderous, since approximately ten thousand of the forty thousand
Blacks in the State, were still under the yoke of the institution of slavery. This "incursion" into, "Their Territory and Fraternity", was a
hard pill to swallow by many whites within our State, when hearing of an established and operating Masonic Lodge composed of Free
Black Men in New York City.

By 1826, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts had chartered three other Lodges, Celestial No. 2 (now No. 3) in New York City,
Rising Sun No. 3 in Brooklyn, and Hiram No. 4 in New York City. These four Lodges Convened on March 14, 1845 and organized Boyer
Grand Lodge, F. &A.M. of New York. Paul Drayton was the first elected Grand Master of this newly organized Grand Lodge. The patent
styling or name of this Grand Lodge was and indication of the high esteem held of Boyer Lodge as The Mother Lodge of the Grand
Jurisdiction. Boyer Grand Lodge was the third Grand Lodge of Prince Hall Masons to be established in the United States. Masonry
among African Americans had surely reached a somewhat sophisticated state and was growing in the African American communities
across the State and Nation.

In late June of 1847, at the request of M.W. John T. Hilton (author of the famed Declaration of Independence), Grand Master of Prince
Hall Masons in Massachusetts, twenty representatives of the four Grand Lodges, then in existence, met in conference to attempt to
settle the dispute between two rival Pennsylvania Grand Lodges. The result of this meeting gave birth to and over reaching authority
to a Masonic hybrid, known as National Grand Lodge of North America. This period was to mark a division of the Craft, which resulted
in the split of some Grand Lodges in half.

This meeting was held AFTER the 1847 Boyer Grand Lodge Annual Grand Communication and therefore nothing could be binding
unless and until ratified by a Convened Boyer Grand Lodge. At the very next Grand Session in New York, June 1848, the
representatives so assembled, did angrily reject and repudiate the signatures of its representatives to that Boston conference in 1847.
This caused a division which the dissenters of Boyer Grand Lodge(pro hybrid) broke away and organized themselves illegally under
the name Grand Lodge of New York (National Union). Boyer Grand Lodge(States Rights) did in October of 1848, reorganized under the
name United Grand Lodge, F. &A.M, of the State of New York. The officers of the United Grand Lodge were James Barnett, Grand
Master; Jacob R. Gibbs, Deputy Grand Master; Alexander Elston, Senior Grand Warden; Arnold Ricks, Junior Grand Warden; Charles A.
Horton, Grand Treasurer; and Ransom F. Wake, Grand Secretary.

This separation lasted until December 27, 1878 when the two Grand Bodies re-united into one; the former dissidents acknowledging
the concept in Freemasonry of State Rights. At last, Peace and Harmony prevailed.

Prince Hall Masonry in the State of New York since its establishment into a Grand Lodge in 1845, has had the following "Names and
Titles," to wit:

1. Boyer Grand Lodge, F. & A. M., of New York (1845)
2. United Grand Lodge, F. &. M., of New York (1848)
3. Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York
(1877)
4. Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, State of New
York

This Grand Lodge was instrumental in establishing the following Grand Lodges:

1. Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the Bahamas Islands
2. Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ontario, Dominion of Canada
3. Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut